The Commoner.
APRIL 12, 1012
An Open Letter to Senator Hitchcock
Paplllion, Neb., April 3, 1912. Hon. .O. M.
Hitchcock, United States Senate, Washington,
D. C. My Dear Sir: Acknowledging receipt of
your letter of recent date in which you state
your position as a candidate for delegate-at-large
to the democratic national convention and
in which you make certain inquiry, I think you
will not object to a frank reply, although bear
ing kindly personal feeling.
As you well know, if you shall attend the
convention as a duly elected delegate from Ne
braska, the question of which person you shall
support in the convention for presidential candi
date is not debatable as you, in such event, will
have your instructions from the people beforo
going. Since the people instruct as to their
preference for a candidate but do not instruct
as to the platform, I submit that it is not of
much importance which candidate you prefer
but it is very important "whether you will help
write and adopt a progressive or a reactionary
platform to be the rule and guide of our party
for the next four years.
A few weeks ago Mr. Bryan took the people
into his confidence and frankly told them that
if they wanted Harmon for president they
should send delegates to the convention who aro
in sympathy with him. Mr. Bryan said in effect
that ho could not now stultify his conscience
by helping nominate a candidate whom he con
sidered reactionary and opposed to progressive
democracy after he had given twenty years o'f
the best part of his life to working for progres
sive principles. But if the people prefer a pro
gressive candidate for president then he can
consistently serve as a delegate. That was manly
and honorable in. Mr. Bryan jind consistent with
his record. as a progressive. He perhaps knows
better than we do who the progressives and
reactionaries are.
Two years ago Mr. Bryan supported a moral
issue because its adoption would mean a moral
and an intellectual uplift to the people and for
the further reason that the immoral element had
used the issue to defeat the people's wish. He
was right, of course, from a moral standpoint.
You and your newspaper are now playing to the
gallery of his opponents in that issue and you .
are trying to defame Bryan as opposed to the
popular primary and as a party boss but your
motive will perhaps, be better understood by
the public later.
You aro either a progressive or a reactionary.
Bryan is the recognized leador of the progres
sives while those who oppose him and the prin
ciples ho represents aro recognized as reaction
aries. By your opposition to Bryan you havo
placed yourself in the latter class as a reaction
ary. "Birds of a feather flock together" wo
should remember. If you aro not attacking
Bryan from the standpoint of your being a re
actionary then you merely havo a personal
grudge against him to satisfy and in forcing
your personal fight hito the party you aro im
posing upon the party and endangering its suc
cess at the polls. In either event you aro try
ing, by means which the people would not
tolerate if they understood, to secure the politi
cal ostracism and repudiation of Bryan, the
greatest and most persistent and most conscien
tious leader advocating the cause of the plain
people at the present time. Mr. Bryan has been
without the advantage and prestige that would
belong with an ofllco, yet, while only a private
citizen, his wonderful advocacy of great prin
ciples of progressive democracy has made him
the recognized progressive loader of a great
party for twenty years. Such a popular leader
ship has not been duplicated during the entire
history of our country not even by Washing
ton, Jefferson, Lincoln, McKinley and others now
gone. The effect of his twenty years of per
sistent work is partly seen in the adoption of
many of the principles he advocated by some'
states, in part by the nation and also by tho
political reforms advocated by progressive lead
ers in both the great parties.
Shall we now submit to the ostracism of Bryan's
counsel from the national democratic party by
the lesser political lights In our own state?
The political ostracism of Bryan would cause
great joy among certain interests in Now York
city and Washington. When wo repudiate
Bryan, La Follette and Roosevelt we leave tho
great mass of plain people without a single
great champion of their cause in this country.
Whether we do so or not Bryan's fame will
dwell a thousand years after his present day
critics are forgotten. Shall we repudiate Bryan
and progress?
"The world wants men true men,
Who can neither be bought nor sold;
Men who scorn to violate trust,
Genuine gold.
The world wants men pure men,
Free from the taint of sin:
Men whose lives are clean without,
And pure within."
Respectfully yours, ERNEST L. IRELAND.
ADVANTAGES OF TIIE DUAL SYSTEM
The monopolists who are bleeding the coun
try are the very ones who are constantly defying
the state and belittling their rights. Of course
they object to national legislation, and in mak
ing their objection th.ey naturally present argu
ments in favor of the state, but these arguments
ought not to fool anybody. Whenever the state
attempts to do anything these same monopolists
rush to the cover offered by the federal courts.
The railroads have done more to build up the
power of the federal courts than any other one
influence, and there is scarcely a state legisla
ture which the railroads havo not d.efied. If tho
trust magnates and tho railroad presidents had
their way about it, state lines would be entirely
obliterated, and corporations would be char
tered by the federal government. That they do
not have, their way about' it is due to the fact
tliat the people recognize the necessity for local
self-government. It is true that the states have
been brought nearer together and their relations
made more intimate since the adoption of the
federal constitution but the need for the state
is stronger today than it was a century ago.
The wide extent of our country, the increase
in our population, the greater complexity of our
business relations and industries, all these in
crease, the importance of the state. , The federal
government could not look after the multiplied
interests of the people. The -founders of tho
constitution built more wisely than they knew
fhen they reserved to tho states the powers
not delegated to tho federal government. Con
gress has all the power that It needs. In tho
realm of Interstate commerce it is supreme. The
state can charter corporations and so long as
those corporations confine their business to the
state, the federal government can not interfere,
but tho moment those corporations step across
the state line, they come under the supervision
of tho federal government and congress has
power to fix the terms upon which they shall do
business. This Is a very much better arrange
ment than to havo national corporations supef ior
to and independent of the states. We have
trouble enough with overgrown state corpora
tions. We would have still more trouble if wo
permitted the creation of overgrown national
corporations.
The state and the nation both are necesasry
and tho doctrine of Jeffersonand Jackson is
the doctrine that must prevail today. We need
no new principles; we need only the courageous
application- of old-time principles to tho now con
ditions. We need remedies, state and national,
but it is not necessary that the nation should
encroach upon- tho rights of the state or tho
state upon tho rights of tho nation In order to
secure such remedial legislation as is demanded.
MAKES FOUR MEN ABSOLUTE DICTATORS
OF THE MONEY MARKET OF TIIE COUN
TRY. IT EXPLAINS VERY LARGELY TIIE
RECENT STAGNATION IN TIIE STOCK MAR
KET, FOR IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO
DEAL IN EVEN A THOUSAND SHARES
WITHOUT THE IDENTITY OF TIIE DEALER
GOING TO HEADQUARTERS. Unofficial pools
aro impossible in tho stock market and in
dividual trading Is useless. Nobody can havo
any money to use unless tho big pcoplo aro
willing.
This latest purchase .of bank stock is UNFOR
TUNATE, becauso it will bo almost certain to
precipitate an Investigation of Now York City
national banks by tho domocratic congress pro
paring to meet In extra session. Such an Inves
tigation would probably go back to tho days of
tho panic of 1907.
IT CAN BE SHOWN UNDOUBTEDLY THAT
THE BANKERS WHO HAVE ROUNDED UP
EVERYTHING WORTH WHILE IN TIIE LAST
FOUR YEARS HAVE ACTED IN EACH IN
STANCE FOR THE GOOD OF THE COM
MUNITY. Even tho purchase of yesterday was
forced upon them by tho state law, which com
pels tho life Insurance companies to liquidate -their
stocks beforo tho end of 1912. Tho stocks
transferred to tho syndlcato could novor havo
been sold In tho public market at a fair price.
Yet the accumulation of banking power In a
few hands has gono to such an extent thnt .oven
thoso' in charge of tho situation aro uneasy
about it.
Banking circles had reports from Paris
yesterday that Atchison and American Tele
phone & Telegraph stock would both bo listed
on the parquet In tho near future, tho way
having been opened by Philadelphia company
stock. Telephone stock Is one of tho most
substantial of tho Industrials and Is In higher
favor among Investors than among speculators.
Its live management has even mado Western
Union a popular issue.
In railroad circles thero Is mysterious whis
pering about a disagreement between James
J. Hill on the one side and J. P. Morgan and
George F. Baker on tho other as to the advis
ability of letting members of tho Hill family
succeed Mr. Hill In tho management of tho
Great Northern. Presidency of tho Missouri
Pacific has been refused by President Harris,
of tho Burlington, because- the.tMorgan peoplo
insist that he remain In his present position.
It is felt that the Missouri Pacific Is not tho
only road needing a new president, and tho
feeling must 1)Q intense to cause a disagree
ment between Mr. Hill and his old associates.
Chesapeake & Ohio Is said to bo planning
some new financing. There Is a desire on tho
part of tho management to gather up some
of the oldest bonds and retire them by making
tho recent mortgage larger and more compre
hensive. It will take some time, however, to
work out this plan.
Standard Oil declined $10 a share on tho
curb yesterday, making a total decline of $30
from the high price touched early In the week.
This drop is a result of the technical denial
issued by the company of reports that plans
for reorganization had been perfected. Nobody
believed that the company, officially, had done
anything of the kind and nobody believes that
the responsible men in the company, unofficially,
have neglected to jlo it.
ALWAYS IN THE INTEREST OF THE BEAR
PUBLIC
Thomas C. ShotwellMn New York American:
Although the stock exchange opened and closed
in a formal way yesterday, tho only incident
of importance in tho financial district was the
transfer to a banking syndicate of one-half the
holdings of tho Equitable and Mutual Lifo
Insurance companies of National Bank of Com
merce stock. Tho price was about 220, al
though it was not officially given. Tho excel
lence of the bargain at that price explains tho
strength of stock of banks participating in tho
purchase.
This banking deal is a further concentration
of the banking power of New York City.' IT
WHOSE MONEY?
Whose money is being used to carry on tho
campaigns for the presidential nominations?
Who is furnishing tho money for President Taft?
Whose money is financing Mr. Roosevelt's cam
paign? Who is putting up for Senator La Fol
lette's fight? And-then thero are tho democratic
candidates. Whose money aro they using, and
how much? Tho public has a right to know.
Why not extqnd the present publicity law so as
to throw light upon the campaigns now being
waged for the nominations? What candidate
opposes publicity? Let him speak out. If none,
let them unit in DEMANDING publicity. Our
democratic congress' should not alIow this con
gress to adjourn without tho passage of such
a law.
ii
WILL YOU, JOIN IN THE EFFORT
TO INCREASE THE COMMONER'S CIR- '
CULATION FOR 1912?
. . TAKE IT UP AT ONOE WITH YOUR .'
NEIGHBOR. 0
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